Music fans from across the U.S. converged upon the small town of Pryor, Oklahoma for the annual Rocklahoma music festival on Memorial Day weekend. The three-day event took place Friday through Sunday, May 25-27, and included its best lineup to date. Prior incarnations relied on 80s hair-metal bands, whereas the 2012 bill featured artists that varied from old-school bands such as Queensryche and Megadeth to Southern rockers Jackyl and Black Stone Cherry to Christian artists P.O.D. and Red. Creed, Rob Zombie and Chickenfoot were featured as Main stage headliners over the three respective days.

Major artists were spread over two adjacent stages, Main and Hard Rock, such that music alternated virtually non-stop from 4:00 p.m. until well past midnight every night. A pair of smaller stages, Retrospect Records and AxisCampground, provided additional performances from smaller local and independent bands. VIP tickets offered reserved bench seating and standing room pit access for the Main stage, while the remainder of the festival grounds were grass-covered, general admission spaces open to all ticketed patrons. Roughly 20,000 fans graced the wide open fields each day.

Adelitas Way returned to Rocklahoma and opened the Main stage on Friday with a full-throttled set that got the early crowd primed for a weekend of music. They played at their typical frenzied pace despite a heat index over 90-degrees. Frontman Rick DeJesus got more people moving after he staid, “Fill this front up so I can jump off the f–king stage.” They did and he kept his promise by crowd surfing after they closed their set with “Invincible”. Cavo followed with a 45-minute set but lacked Adelitas’ enthusiasm despite an otherwise solid performance. Chevelle brought back the energy but suffered from sound problems near the front. Vocalist Pete Loeffler was often drowned out from the bass that resonated from concrete slabs that defined the Main stage pit.

Friday’s highlights were appearances by Slash [show review], featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, and Creed [show review] who each produced sets of the highest caliber. The lineup was wrought with irony in that Myles Kennedy also performs with Alter Bridge (a.k.a. Creed sans Scott Stapp). Mark Tremonti, guitarist for both bands, later tweeted, “Great to hang with Myles and Slash. This was the first time Scott and Myles had a chance to meet!”

Redlight King gave a standout performance on the Hard Rock stage on Friday. Canadian musician Mark Kasprzyk fronts the new band, having found previous success touring as Kazzer. Redlight King goes beyond the radio friendly rock hit, “Bullet in My Hand,” with the chill rap “Old Man” that’s influenced by Neil Young’s classic hit. Kaz had great stage presence, while his smooth rap and capable voice are a complete package.

Saturday’s lineup stepped it up a notch. With Anti-Mortem and Trivium on the bill, fans were going get a taste of the hardcore. The latter annihilated the Hard Rock stage, generating the largest most pit of the weekend. When it appeared as though Trivium had hit their stride, they closed their set with an explosive rendition of Metallica’s “Creeping Death.”

Main stage artists Pop Evil, 10 Years and Theory of a Deadman provided a more mainstream rock experience for those not wanting to mosh. Pop Evil put in a strong ten-song set with hits “Hero,” “100 in a 55,” “Boss’s Daughter” and “Last Man Standing.”

10 Years always play with an acute determination and Saturday was no different. Both vocalist Jesse Hasek and bassist Lew Cosby were shirtless by the end of their set in the blazing Oklahoma sunshine. They performed a couple songs from their forthcoming album, Minus the Machine. Hasek joined the crowd to sing “Shoot It Out” amongst the fans, at least as far as his mic cord would take him.

The Darkness reunited recently and the English outfit turned out their trademark 80s-meets-90s hairmetal laced with Justin Hawkins uber-falsetto vocals. Hawkins appeared in his Evel Knieval-styled leather pants and strutted about with a smile that went ear-to-ear. For many it was a new experience but others were stoked to see The Darkness back together.

Megadeth and Rob Zombie closed out the Main stage with a vengeance, while Volbeat was sandwiched between on the Hard Rock stage. Megadeth’s technically challenging riffs have been a mainstay of their sound for the past three decades. Guitarist Chris Broderick is the perfect complement to Dave Mustaine’s over the top fretwork. Dave Ellefson returned to his rightful place on bass for the last album. They gave a headline-worthy show and primed the crowd for Zombie.

Volbeat took charge of the Hard Rock stage and lit up the crowd for 45-minutes. The Danish rockers finally broke through to U.S. audiences with their latest Beyond Hell/Above Heaven. Their style can best be described as Social Distortion meets Slayer, with catchy hooks and uptempo transitions that pairs like fine cuisine. Their live show takes it to the next level and they impressed a huge crowd.

Rob Zombie’s music from the macabre capped the night in spectacular fashion. Lights, fire, smoke and a stage-show that showed the Hollywood side of Zombie was a feast for the senses. This was a set that was best seen from a distance, those sitting too close had to constantly move their heads back and forth to keep up with Zombie’s frenetic pace.

Sunday saw Rocklahoma return to its roots, leaning toward classic rock with some Southern rock thrown in for good measure. Kentucky rockers Black Stone Cherry paired well with Jackyl. Both had the crowd begging for more.

Puddle of Mudd usually give an upbeat performance, frontman Wes Scantlin has been known to climb scaffolding during their show. However, Scantlin was anemic, barely moving beyond center stage during their 45-minute set. Despite his lethargic presence, his voice was sharp and they gave an otherwise solid set.

One of Sunday’s highlights was an early evening appearance by Aranda. They hail from Oklahoma and rewarded their local fans who made the trek to Pryor. Brothers Gabe and Demeon Aranda share vocal duties, each garnering a hit with rock radio with their current, independent release Stop the World.

Art of Dying have been moving up the rock food chain with heavy rotation on rock radio and an abundance of touring (2011 UPROAR, 2011 and 2012 Avalanche). Good music with matching personalities, Art of Dying are living a dream and show no signs of slowing down.

Sunday closed with Seattle rockers Queensryche leading into Chickenfoot‘s headline set. Geoff Tate’s operatic vocals are the basis of their sound, but their intricate melodies punctuated by Scott Rockenfield’s incessant pounding on the kit are intricately tied to Queensryche’s unique style. Rather than opening with an upbeat track, they chose to start with the slower-paced “Get Started.” Tate’s vocals were completely lost to the music, showing up only briefly during the quieter “Silent Lucidity.” Tate was obviously flustered, shrugging to the crew at side-stage between songs. He was obviously belting it out but his voice just wasn’t projecting beyond his monitors.

Supergroup Chickenfoot had a huge fan presence. Sammy Hagar (vocals), Joe Satriani (guitar) and Michael Anthony (bass) were joined by Kenny Aronoff on drums. Founding member Chad Smith is currently on tour with his Red Hot Chili Peppers, a valid reason to be excused. Hagar is known for his dynamic performances and that’s exactly what Rocklahoma received. Satriani is a guitar legend and a treat to watch perform. Hagar and Anthony have a chemistry that dates back to their time together in Van Halen. Calling their live show rock solid would be an understatement. No need for fancy effects, Chickenfoot simply came out and put the the rock in Oklahoma.

Though Rocklahoma lowlights were far and few between, the primary issue that frequently occurred was sound quality from Main stage vocal performances. Given that some artists had pristine sound, our conclusion was speaker placement coupled with the concrete channel directly in front of the stage greatly affected vocal sound quality. Chevelle, 10 Years, Megadeth and Queensryche were adversely affected, even prompting Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate to comment how this year’s crowd “sucked” relative to their 2009 set. Many in the front were calling out for the band to “turn up the mic” to no avail.

Several guitars, signed by an entire band, were auctioned for charity each day between the later sets on the Main stage. Creed, Slash, Chickenfoot, Rob Zombie and Motley Crue (from the previous year) fetched thousands of dollars apiece, ranging from over $4000 to $7000 apiece, with Slash pulling in the most money for the cause. The final item for bid was a 2012 Rocklahoma tour poster that was signed by every band member that performed on the two large stages over the three days, generating another $5000 in donations.

Canadian rockers Theory of a Deadman pulled into the historic Orpheum Theatre in Madison, WI. on Sunday to entertain an eager crowd that were ready to close out the weekend with a bang. “Blame Canada,” the satirical song from South Park, was queued before the band took the stage and set the tone for the evening.

Continue reading the rest of this review (and find more great photos) at The Examiner!

Setlist

Gentleman
Got It Made
So Happy
All or Nothing
Bitch Came Back
Nothing Could Come Between Us
Not Meant to Be
The Truth Is… (I Lied About Everything)
Out of My Head (acoustic)
Easy to Love You (acoustic)
Better Off (acoustic)
Lowlife
Santa Monica
Cocaine (J.J. Cale cover)
Hate My Life
Encore:
Hurricane
Bad Girlfriend

Adelitas Way is currently on tour supporting Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour. With their new album, Home School Valedictorian, in hand they are set to take on the Avalanche Tour as well hitting some of the top rock festivals this summer.

These Las Vegas rockers have come a long way from playing local Las Vegas clubs. They have opened for such stellar acts like Shinedown and Theory of a Deadman since 2005. I was first introduced to the band back in 2007 as they snagged the lucky opening spot for one of Hinder’s shows at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. It was only a matter of time before they were going to hit it big.

4/13/2012 - Milwaukee, WI: Adelitas Way take the stage with support from Art of Dying and headliners Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom.

4/13/2012 - Milwaukee, WI: Adelitas Way take the stage with support from Art of Dying and headliners Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom.

4/13/2012 - Milwaukee, WI: Adelitas Way take the stage with support from Art of Dying and headliners Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom.

4/13/2012 - Milwaukee, WI: Adelitas Way take the stage with support from Art of Dying and headliners Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom.

4/13/2012 - Milwaukee, WI: Adelitas Way take the stage with support from Art of Dying and headliners Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom.

4/13/2012 - Milwaukee, WI: Adelitas Way take the stage with support from Art of Dying and headliners Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom.

4/13/2012 - Milwaukee, WI: Adelitas Way take the stage with support from Art of Dying and headliners Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom.

It’s really hard to write an album review for “it’s ok” music. It’s very easy to toot a great album’s horn, or to pan an abysmal release but when the music is “well it’s just ok”..What does one say besides that?

I guess you know where I stand now on Theory of a Deadman’s newest release “The Truth is…” and the truth is, “It’s OK.” If you are a person who actually listens to lyrics then you will appreciate the two bit humor laced into every sentence on the record. Musically, I caught myself toe tapping more than a couple of times, so the beats are there. Then curiously there are a few country-ish songs to close out the record? It’s as if the band is asking “Well what about this, then?” in case you didn’t like the soft rock, or the progressive rock, do you fancy country? At this point I am puzzled as to where this music fits. The track “Easy to Love You” screams adult contemporary pop charts, then you have “Love is Hell” which is straight alternative rock, Then the best song on the album, “Gentleman” is a punkish anthem..These guys are all over the place. Focus Bros. A lot of this is very right, the lyrics are hysterical, (See Here) the music is all fine, and although their fourth studio album is the highest charting yet it’s still just not.. enough.

I guess that’s what Canadian music is? 90% cool? Just OK? Poor Canada. We did get Alanis out of it though..

3 DOORS DOWN, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, SAVING ABEL
PERFORM AT THE 7TH ANNUAL THE BETTER LIFE FOUNDATION EVENT
IN TUNICA, MISSISSIPPI

New Location For the 2-Day Event on November 12-13
Tickets Go On Sale at 10 am CT at Ticketmaster and Horseshoe Casino/Hotel, August 27
Citizen Soldier III Custom Bourget’s Bike Works Motorcycle Raffle

Mobile, AL (August 23, 2010) – Grammy®-nominated, multi-platinum rockers 3 Doors Down will once again return to their home state for a concert benefiting children’s charities. The Better Life Foundation Presents 3 Doors Down & Friends, the seventh annual concert and silent auction for their Mobile, AL-based charity, will take place at Horseshoe Casino/Hotel on Friday, November 12 and culminating with a live performance on Saturday, November 13. The 2-day event has moved location from Biloxi to Tunica and as a bonus for fans, is earlier than in years past. The event is sponsored by the Mississippi Army National Guard and boasts a complete schedule of events including Charity Ride, Clay Shoot, Silent Auction and live performance of 3 Doors Down with special guests gold-certified Canadian rock band Theory Of A Deadman and gold-certified Mississippi rock act Saving Abel. [Read more…]

Adelitas Way have just announced that they will begin touring with their friends Theory of a Deadman this January! The tour will include opening acts Halestorm and Taking Dawn, and will kick off in Minneapolis, MN on January 18th. The Las Vegas based Adelitas Way is supporting their self titled debut album, which features the top 10 single “Invincible.”

Check out Adelitas Way on MySpace for the latest news and pick up the bands self-titled debut album here.

Saving Abel is currently out on the road with Nickelback to promote the March release of their self-titled debut off of Virgin Records. These rockers hail from Corinth, Mississippi and have toured with the likes of Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold, Puddle of Mudd, and Shinedown since their formation in 2004.

The album is filled with radio rock hits such as their smash hit “Addicted” that sat at the top of the charts for 11 weeks on the rock charts. Also their other hit “18 Days” graces the 4th track off the record. Their debut has a great mix of what I call car music and then the ballads. None of the ballads are cheesy girlie ballads by the way. It’s obvious these guys are out to rock.

I did have a moment of doubt as I pulled the album from the mailbox. I wondered if this was going to be one of those albums where I would only like a couple songs like Theory of a Deadman’s debut album. Though Saving Abel is reminiscent of Theory, Saving Abel is a bit more appealing. Saving Abel mixes it up on the album with acoustic and electric ramblings such as “Drowning.” “Drowning” is a plea to for help. The song hits home especially in these trying times where some of us work very hard to get where we are but it’s continuously an uphill battle and you feel like you are face down in the mud.

Rich Luzzi, Julien Jorgensen, Dave Agoglia, Matt McCloskey and Ricky Lixx will rock the stage with their signature hard rock music at a post race concert Saturday (Feb. 21) in the Auto Club Speedway FanZone following the Stater Bros. 300 NASCAR Nationwide series race and again Sunday, prior to the NASCAR Spring Cup series Auto Club 500.

Formed in 1997, the group released their debut album, Truth Is Currency, on EMI subsidiary Element Records in 2005. They are currently signed to Interscope Records and their 2008 release Light it Up is featured on the NASCAR ‘09 video game and was the official theme music for WrestleMania 24.

Interscope Geffen A&M Records and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, have joined forces to premiere the hard rock act Rev Theory’s new music video exclusively on the Xbox LIVE Video Store. This will make Rev Theory’s hit single “Hell Yeah” the first ever video premiere on Xbox LIVE.

Gavin Rossdale, who is currently enjoying the success of his Top 40 hit single “Love Remains the Same”, will perform a pre-race concert prior to the Auto Club 500, NASCAR’s 2009 West Coast Premier at Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 22.

Rossdale will perform four songs at Auto Club Speedway. His four songs will include his hit single “Love Remains the Same” as well as classic hits from his days as the frontman for rock group “Bush”.

Said Rossdale of his first solo album, WANDERlust, “The wanderlust I’m talking about isn’t that desire to travel and see the world. “It’s my overwhelming desire to get out and play music for people. I feel like a racehorse that’s been stuck in the stables a bit too long.”

About Auto Club Speedway: Auto Club Speedway is the premier Speedway in Southern California. Hosting two NASCAR Sprint Cup events as well as NHRA and AMA events, a day at Auto Club Speedway is a full day of excitement and entertainment that includes sponsor displays, live musical entertainment, great food and fun for the whole family. Enjoy the Speedway’s fan amenities, including escalators, shade structures and misting zones, souvenir shopping and quality restaurants.

I was a fan of Theory of a Deadman since their self-title album with Chad Kroeger from Nickelback sitting at the producer’s chair. This album spawned their biggest or should I say my radio favorite “Invisible Man.” Granted there are still many great songs on the album but that one is a great car song.

Pictures and review after the jump…

It was great to see these guys open for the Saints of Los Angeles Tour when it stopped in San Diego, CA. Mind you this review is from San Diego and the pictures are from Las Vegas at the Joint. This was Theory’s first performance in San Diego. The crowd appeared to be receptive of them although not many were actually in the arena yet. Many fans didn’t show up to the venue until 30 minutes before the Crue went on.

The sound in general SUCKED at Cox Arena but I am pretty sure it’s because a). where we were sitting b). the fact that the arena wasn’t even 1/3rd full. I could only hear Tyler’s vocals during choruses.

They played as Tyler said, “A song for shitty days,” “I hate my life.” Now this is an awesome song minus the fact they gripe about spending money on their wives. Men really need to invest in a sugarmomma. They also played “Bad Girlfriend.”

Their set was fairly short because they had to make room for Hinder and then the Crue. Plus they also had an opening act that I completely missed because they started at 6:30pm and that’s about the time I arrived at Cox.

Theory of a Deadman is out supporting their newest release Scars & Souvenirs. Visit their official website or their Myspace for more details.